What to Expect During Your Accounting Internship

by Mary Varano
Calendar planner with "First day at Corrigan Krause!" highlighted

You nailed the interview and got the internship! Congratulations!

Now what?

Internships are a vital part of the accounting industry, but it’s tough to know what to expect from the experience before you walk through the office doors. A few of the spring 2021 Corrigan Krause interns shared what future interns can expect from their internship.

Part of the Corrigan Krause Team

“I thought there were going to be a lot of simple projects to work on independently,” Ashley Harris said. “I quickly realized that was not the case with Corrigan Krause. Interns like they are first year staff, which really helps benefit the interns because you get to learn so much!”

Lauren Powers also thought she’d be working on her own.

“I thought we would have to be independent and learn a lot on our own,” Powers said. “Instead, every intern has a ‘buddy’ associate to help us learn. All of us interns also help each other out more than I ever thought we would. It has been a great process learning and growing together.”

Interns at Corrigan Krause are part of the team. Our associates mentor and help train interns so they build critical skills for their accounting careers.

Real World Experience

During an internship at Corrigan Krause, our accounting interns work on a variety of projects for real clients under the guidance of our seasoned staff.

“I thought that the internship would consist of work that was monotonous,” Natalie Sommer said. “I was very wrong about this. Corrigan Krause has done a great job of supplying interns with a large variety of work.”

The idea of working on real clients’ financial documents may seem daunting, but, just like the rest of the Corrigan Krause staff, interns are never working alone. Help is only a few steps, or an email, away.

“I came into the internship with very little accounting knowledge,” Sommer said. “I had taken one intro level accounting class in school when I began my first busy season. I learned more about tax and audit working for Corrigan Krause than I ever could have imagined. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. It truly is like a family.”

Harris was also pleasantly surprised about the variety in her work. “When I first started this internship, I didn’t even know the different types of tax returns or any audit work. I now can say I have worked on 1120s, 1065, 1041, and 1040 returns. I also have helped foot financials, put together trial balances, and prepare financial statements.”

Preparing for an Accounting Internship

“I believe the best way to prepare for an accounting internship is to know that an internship is the biggest learning experience you can have while going to school,” Powers said. “You are going to make mistakes. College classes don’t teach you what you learn in a firm. Classes and an internship go hand in hand.”

Nothing replaces experiencing accounting in the real world, Power, Sommer and Harris agree. It’s also a lot of work learning on the job every day.

“Be ready to work hard and learn a lot,” Sommer said. “Corrigan Krause will teach you everything you need to know as long as you are willing to put in the work and build on the feedback you are given.”

The one thing that surprised the spring 2021 interns at Corrigan Krause the most, though, was the relationships they built within the firm and with each other.

“All us interns relate to each other on so much than I thought we would,” Power said. “This has been a huge growth experience for us and we all lean on each other whenever we need to. There’s definitely no one else I would’ve wanted to spend this busy season with!”

More than Accounting Training

While the main purpose of an accounting internship is to get experience in the industry, an internship at Corrigan Krause offers more.

“I learned so much valuable information while being here at Corrigan Krause,” Powers said. “There will be hard days and there will be really good days, you just have to keep trying your best and believe in yourself!”

Join Our Team

If you’re interested in interning at Corrigan Krause, we’d love to hear from you. Email info@corrigankrause.com for more information.

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